Aileen and Enrique

Today, on the 2nd day of the 1st ever IMMAP Conference, there were two speakers who made me sit and listen to what they really had to say. Enrique Gonzalez and Aileen Apollo.

Why Enrique and Aileen?

Enrique is CEO of IPVG, one of our biggest clients and one fastest growing companies in the Philippines. IPVG’s group of companies include e-Games which brings the presence together of young male and female on-line gamers in a virtual world. Here, gamers have been known to play for hours and hours long. Some have been known to play for 72 hours while other “pay” professional gamers to continue their game while they rest their eyes from the computer monitor.

Enrique says that 2.6 Million online gaming population in the Philippines is expected to increase their presence to 6.3M –242% in three years.

The young CEO also said that in 2004, there were 11.8 million internet users. This was projected to reach more than 20 million users by 2007.

For e-Games alone, they had over 4,000,000 registered users, with over 1,500,000 active users per month. Over 40,000 players online at a given time, many of them make their presence felt in over 5,000 iCafe partners around the country.

The “front page” of the computer monitor belongs to Google, which recently launched it environment friendly “black” Google. Aileen gave the audience a peek into Google, although most of the audience already knew what Google really means. I was hoping to hear some insights about Brin and Page (which reminds me I have to finish the book, “The Google Story). But why I really wanted to meet Aileen was to meet the “blogger” in her, specially the “lakwatsera” in her. I missed those days in UST when I was a “lakwatsera” myself.

Which remind me, I have to bring Chief to Taste Asia at the Mall of Asia. Soon, we will make our presence felt at that restaurant!